I want to use the Apple iPad as a Cintiq

#101

Have to say that i actually like the hp touchsmart design(s). Then again, i can appreciate apples design decisions aswell, but i realy dont see anything wrong with the touchsmart pc design. It´s slick looking and almost there as far as hardware and gui goes, guess i can pick one up in two generations or something like it but they arent quite good enough yet to warrant a purchase.

#102

To each his own, I’m just really picky about product design and as far as computers go, I rarely see one that has an appealing design that doesn’t have an Apple logo somewhere on it. Anyway, back on topic I suppose.

Has anyone tried out Sketchbook pro on the iPad yet? I heard a rumor that it was actually registering some sort of pressure sensitivity. What about the OP, did you get one? If so, how do you like it?

#103

What I generally find with Apple is that their products initially look nice but it becomes glaringly obvious after a short period of time, in a lot of cases, that the products aren’t actually very practical. Their mouse designs are a prime example, from the early days of hard-edged boxes to the RSI inducing hockey puck to the current batch of the inaccurate, non-buttoned variety.

What I see with the iPad is a shiney slab of plastic which will either be used awkwardly on the users lap, slipping around, reflecting the ceiling lights and causing eye-strain and neck/shoulder pain, or cradled in the users arm like a clipboard, causing neck/shoulder pain. Of course the reflective nature of the display will be reduced by iFingerprints which will cover the unit within seconds of taking it out of the box…The ideal solution will be the iDeskstand which will make the unit look like a digital photo frame nullify the portability and take up as much room as a notebook.

I get the ‘Apple stuff looks pretty’ argument and I’m not dissing Apple but the primary focus of any design should be functionality and I honestly don’t believe that Apple cares whether their devices are functional as long as people will blindly buy them. This entire thread is a case in point - Tablet PC’s have been around for years, they’re widly used as digital sketchbooks and offer a complete all-in-one solution for anyone wanting a portable 2d/3d, pressure sensitive tablet, whether it’s for Painter, Photoshop, ZBrush, Maya or any other application…but people will still only see two options, a ModBook or some Heath Robinson style way of using the limited capabilities of the iPad with their Mac.

#104

Has anyone tried out Sketchbook pro on the iPad yet? I heard a rumor that it was actually registering some sort of pressure sensitivity.

Not true pressure sensitivity, but simulated pressure. They call it “Synthetic pressure sensitivity (brush fade-off)”. By the way I don’t have an iPad, but from the looks of the stuff it’s pretty believeable. Need more proof

Check out Spencer Nugent’s sketch-a-day site. I think this is one of the best use of it I’ve seen so far (even though it has that engineer/conceptual look). He just started using it. If you have an iPad and conceptual or illustrator, this is a must app to get. The only thing that is a real turn off is the canvas size.

Anyways check out the images at www.sketch-a-day.com

#105

I picked up an Axiotron ModBook, after some difficulty. You have to check and re-check your supplier, as Axiotron doesn’t sell the ModBooks, they have outside dealers build them and sell them. Most don’t have any in stock.

I made the mistake of ordering mine from a dealer in LA, close to the Axiotron offices. I found out too late that they’re listed in the BBB as a very lame outfit. Had to send my first one back for replacement because the charging system was messed up.

Best practice would be to send a newly purchased MacBook to a dealership that you’ve thoroughly checked out. If not you’ll probably get one from an older model. Mine’s a 2007 MacBook shell.

Since there’s no keyboard, you have to get used to using their software for communicating and keyboarding…there are two different ways to do it, and I’ve found that their QuickScript program works pretty well. You actually hand write or print what you want to fill in then “send” it to the place you want text to appear. When not in use, you can send it off to the side to hide it.

The keyboard app works pretty well too, if you don’t mind hunt and peck typing with a stylus. However, they’ve cleverly made the command, control and option keys sticky, so that whey you need to push a command-s for instance, you push the command key and then the s key and it works. But you have to make sure you unselect the command key afterwards.

The drawing surface isn’t as sensitive as even the original Wacom tablet, but it works well. Comes with Autodesk Sketchbook (not the Pro version), but I removed that and now have Photoshop, Painter, Sketchbook Pro, and Illustrator on the ModBook. Takes getting used to, but it’s pretty workable.

Hope this was helpful!

#106

The painting demo isn’t really impressive and doesn’t really show it, but this slate does has pressure sensitivity.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kl7dChsCToA

edit:
Apparently it isn’t real pressure sensitivity, it just looks at how much surface your finger is taking. the harder you press the more surface your finger is taking. So it isn’t really interesting to use with a pen, but you can do some really cool finger painting on it :slight_smile:

#107

Oh I agree, Apple’s usability design is a total mixed bag. I hate their mice and I would never buy one. I remember the first time I had to try to shove a quadro 4500 inside that pretty Mac Pro sitting next to my desk, ugh. Also, When I wanted to hook up an ESATA drive to my mac, and realized that the spare SATA ports on the motherboard are buried behind that pretty piece of plastic that is supposed to hold the cards in place but is really superfluous, I wanted to strangle Steve Jobs with a white USB cable.

I think the argument about the iPad vs. tablet PCs is somewhat of an oversimplification. They are very different beasts and each of them have their own advantages and drawbacks, sort of an apples and oranges thing.

I personally also think Mod-books are completely ridiculous simply for how out of control overpriced they are, but if you really prefer working on OSX over Windows, what other choice do you have?

#108

That is except for this one at under $400 including 3g, flash support, 3 usb ports, hdmi output with hd resolution, nvidia tegra graphics, multitouch, the amazing pixel qi screen, and a swivel skype-ready camera!
http://www.notionink.in/

Here is a comparison between Ink Adam, Kindle, and Ipad
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57oE4ta8mP8&feature=related

here is a slash gear article
http://www.slashgear.com/notion-ink-adam-flash-ipad-comparison-app-competition-0873197/

#109

Ok, first that was the most biased comparison I think I’ve ever seen, was it made by a notion ink employee?

Second, how’s sketchbook pro for the Adam? Oh, what, it doesn’t exist? Developer support is a pretty important factor in this and something that the iPad has in droves, and people keep overlooking.

#110

Exactly. Plus,

Apps available for the ADAM … 0
Apps available for the iPad … More than 0. In fact I would think it has significantly MORE than 0. Maybe in the range of, oh, I don’t know . . . thousands?

:stuck_out_tongue:

Nothing against the ADAM, looks like it will be a great device, but man that video really turned me off.

#111 
 Let's see, the Ink has dual core processor with gforce equivalent tegra graphics. You can run Ubuntu and various flavors of linux, meaning you will be able to run Gimp, Open Office, Blender, Wings3d, and any of the countless Linux applications including a shell. If you install WINE, you can run the full version of Autodesk Sketchbook and Photoshop CS2.
 
 If you think that's a biased review, let's check out what the geeks say:
 
 [http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/08/notion-ink-adam-stripped-bare-and-our-in-depth-video-hands-on/](http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/08/notion-ink-adam-stripped-bare-and-our-in-depth-video-hands-on/)
 
 [http://ubuntuper.wordpress.com/2010/02/01/notion-ink%E2%80%99s-adam-tablet/](http://ubuntuper.wordpress.com/2010/02/01/notion-ink%E2%80%99s-adam-tablet/)
 
 [http://soltesza.wordpress.com/2010/01/28/apples-ipad-vs-notion-inks-adam-tablet-with-ubuntu-battle-of-two-worlds/](http://soltesza.wordpress.com/2010/01/28/apples-ipad-vs-notion-inks-adam-tablet-with-ubuntu-battle-of-two-worlds/)
 
 Face it, the ipad is a crippled device. No camera, no flash, no multitasking, no usb ports, no real access to your hard drive except through itunes, no third party browsers, no command line, no ability swap battery or drive (unless you want to pay a "cough", "cough", Mac genius). Only programs from the app store are allowed, as long as they haven't been censored or rejected. And worst of all, Steve Jobs wants to be your moral guardian [http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-10127333-37.html](http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-10127333-37.html) (This article is about Steve Carnoy, a best selling author who got his book rejected from the app store because he uses the "F" word!)
 
 If you want to look cool and you want to own a toy that grandma can use, get an Ipad. I'm a geek, I don't need to look cool, I'm looking for something more.
#112

I thought microsoft was supposed to be the evil empire

#113

LOL! Yes Microsoft is the evil empire and Apple is the Utopian Society of Surface dwellers from “Demolitian Man”, or maybe it’s the female portion of the gated community from “Stepford Wives”.

#114

I went to best buy to check out the ipad, and noticed how heavy it feels after holding it in one had for a while. the guys over at engadget made a comment about that and i thought they were joking.

#115

This reminds me of this:
What is the iPad Revolutionizing? (video)

#116

Edit: on further reflection this thing is no different than the ipad for artistic purposes. No stylus, there is no way to use any of the “open office, blender, etc” on this due to input restrictions.

We need to face it that these devices are made for media consumption not creation like Roberto earlier said.

A tablet pc is still the only way to go for on the go sketching. Or you can go cheaper and buy a paper sketchpad. I think that is what I will do. :wink:

#117

I think you are a being a bit optimistic thinking that you can run Photoshop and Sketchbook on the Ink. Would be great if you could. Just it seems like an assumption more than fact.

Face it, the ipad is a crippled device. No camera, no flash, no multitasking, no usb ports, no real access to your hard drive except through itunes, no third party browsers, no command line, no ability swap battery or drive (unless you want to pay a “cough”, “cough”, Mac genius). Only programs from the app store are allowed, as long as they haven’t been censored or rejected.

Camera would be nice, but they purposely left it out I’m assuming to prompt the need for an upgrade. Not a big deal and not a deal breaker considering I’d prefer to use my Canon for photos and then use the iPad SD card reader adapter or USB adapter to camera for transferring my photos.

Multitasking is coming this summer.

USB ports are coming via adapters and they apparently work for a variety of things. There are wireless hard drives in the works for the iPad. I know of a wireless SD card reader that is said to work with the iPad.

I expect third party browsers may eventually make it onto the iPad. But really I think that is not necessary. Most phones don’t allow a multitude of browsers and really if the browser works it’s not necessary to change it. The majority of browsers are based on webkit anyway which is the core of Safari.

Command line is available with a jailbroken iPad as are apps outside of the itunes umbrella.

I kind of think it’s good that apps are only available through the app store. It provides a central place for accessing apps without having to search around for what you want at dozens of websites. I dislike how Android works…you have no guarantee that the app will function on your device. I can’t question Apple’s policy behind rejecting and screening certain apps, since I’m not Apple and can’t personally justify their reasoning. I’m sure rejections are based on money which I’d expect the same from most companies that want to gain profits.

  I am seriously considering an iPad since it will make a great all around entertainment device and I see the potential in more as developers create apps and as accessories become available.
#118

Yeah, funny how that seems to have switched in the last couple of years.

#119

Great, so essentially you can hack this thing to run linux. That’s nice if you want to put the time into it, but I don’t think thats realistic for a lot of people, myself included.

I’m aware of the limitations and failings of the iPad, by no means am I an Apple apologist, but I think that a lot of people are overlooking some advantages here. Point number one, it’s not a computer, stop trying to make it one. Who cares if you can’t get at your files, it’s a system designed in such a way that files are not the focus, same goes for the command line.

The closed system thing is a mixed bag. I’m not into the moral guardian stuff, and I agree that Apple shouldn’t be censoring content. Here’s the thing that’s nice though, making it a closed system gives it advantages similar to a console. When developing content or apps for it, you have a set hardware profile so it’s easier to take full advantage of. It’s also really nice to have a readily available and easily browsable interface on the device with which to find apps to run on it.

#120

I didn’t read the whole thread but I think the iPad is becoming my portable cintiq.
It’s amazing. I bought it last saturday and did a painting using Autodesk Sketchbook.
My pogo stylus is broken so I had to paint with my finger.

For those who said the pogo sucks because you have to press really hard on the screen:
Do you have a protective sheet on your iphone/ipad?
You have to remove it if you wanna paint with the pogo.

I ordered a new pogo stylus and I’m looking forward to do more paintings. Other than
the missing pressure sensitivity it’s really an awesome cintiq replacement!!